THE WHITE SEA BASS 333 



to thirty pounds, came in June and remained until 

 September. They were reported from Santa Cruz 

 later, but they afforded poor sport, though numbers 

 were taken on spoons. A smaller species, known as 

 sea trout, are occasionally taken inshore and in the 

 Santa Barbara Channel, but rarely at the southern 

 islands. As a rule the white sea bass is expected 

 April 15 (though in 19 10 it appeared in February, 

 Mr, Whitman, of New York, taking a fifty-five- 

 pounder in that month), and it should remain about 

 all the islands until September in great schools. They 

 are often seen lying in the kelp, where they present an 

 alluring spectacle — pictures of dignity and repose. 



In September at Santa Cruz and Capitola I have 

 seen schools of them lying near and under the schools 

 of anchovies, the fish averaging seventy or eighty 

 pounds. The Italian fishermen were taking them at 

 night in gill-nets, and I saw them come in literally 

 by the ton. 



The largest of these fishes are now taken on the three- 

 six tackle previously described. The clubs recog- 

 nize the white sea bass as a game fish of the first class, 

 and many cups and trophies are offered for the largest 

 fish of the season. Mr. C. H. Harding, of Philadelphia, 

 holds the rod record with a fish weighing sixty pounds. 

 He offers a white sea bass gold medal for the largest 

 fish over sixty pounds. Mr. A. L. Beebe took the 

 record fish of 1909 (forty-six and three-fourths pounds) 

 and received the silver medal of the Light Tackle Club. 



It is difficult to point out any special ground for 

 them. Larco of Santa Barbara knows their habits in 

 the Santa Barbara Islands. I have never seen them 

 at San Clemente or San Nicolas, but they of course 



